Fiberglass News

Glasgow boatbuilder Ultimate Boats has delivered a recyclable patrol boat to fellow Scottish organisation Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority.The bespoke vessel is 11 meters in length with a 3.1 meter beam. It features six permanent shock mitigation seats and two fold-down shock mitigation crew seats. Powered by two 350 HP Suzuki outboard engines, it has a 2,050kg payload, 1,000 litre fuel capacity and range of 400 miles.The vessel is built from Ultimate Boat’s patented Danu recyclable boat building material including its hull…

When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the U.S. and beyond.

The volunteer fire department in Greene, Maine recently took delivery of a 16-foot RIBCRAFT 4.8 rescue boat. This specialized RIB expands the department’s response capabilities while providing a safe platform for rescue missions. Funded by a grant through Firehouse Subs, RIBCRAFT worked with the department to build a boat that met all of their operational requirements.Located on several rivers and lakes in Androscoggin County, the department receives many distress calls from recreational boaters.

Although the number of fishermen who make a living on the waters of the Great Lakes is much diminished from a half century ago, the region's commercial whitefish fishery continues to be viable and profitable.Henriksen Fisheries is one of about a dozen commercial entities in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan, focused on trap netting whitefish in Green Bay and the waters surrounding the Door Peninsula.Charlie Henriksen started his family-owned fishing business in Door County in 1987.Originally from Illinois…

In Cape Cod Bay, 10-year-old Pilgrim and her calf skim the water's glassy surface alongside the Shearwater research vessel to feed on tiny crustaceans.The two are among the last surviving 340 or so North Atlantic right whales left migrating along the U.S. East Coast – down from 480 right whales in 2010.The biggest threats they face include being struck by passing ships or getting entangled in ropes used for lobster fishing off the U.S. East Coast - scientists have recorded 98 such injuries or deaths of whales since 2017.Now, the whales face another threat as the U.S.

The US Coast Guard has published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 05-23, Fire Safety on Small Passenger Vessels and announced a concentrated inspection campaign.The Bulletin encourages owners and operators to do a self-assessment of the fire safety of their vessels and provides a checklist evaluating fire safety and emergency preparedness on board.MSIB 05-23 also announces that the concentrated inspection campaign, which will focus on fire safety aboard small passenger vessels…

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently took delivery of three more RIBCRAFT 5.85’s. With these additional boats, all of the Department’s long range fisheries patrol crafts now operate with a new RIBCRAFT 5.85 onboard. The rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) are deployed for boarding and enforcement up to 200 miles offshore. The delivery of these 19’ RIBs completes the fleet with four others already in service.The new purpose built shipboard RIBCRAFT RIBs renewed the CAFW’s aging and varied fleet.

In producing a column for the Marine Design issue, I considered a number of subjects, but in starting to write about them, somehow my mind connected to “Beam is Cheap.” I have a faint memory of being made aware of this during a discussion of a ship design by a design luminary very early in my career, but I don’t remember who it was.When first putting pencil to paper on some design, I always think about that when I make my first rough sketch. It is a very powerful truism, and over…

Stuart, Florida-based Ocean5 appointed Roger Kovalski as Vice President of Engineering. He was previously Senior Project Engineer & Yacht Designer, and began his career with OCEAN5 in early 2012.Kovalski has been in the engineering and design profession for over 25 years, coming to the U.S/ from his native home in Brazil in 2001. He is fully conversant with the engineering needs of any project including the design of aluminum, steel or fiberglass boats and is proficient in all technical applications…

Arcosa Marine Products, a manufacturer of barges used to transport cargo on U.S. inland waterways, is the newest participant in Green Marine – the largest voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.Part of Dallas based Arcosa, Inc., Arcosa Marine Products manufactures dry cargo barges, including flat-deck and hopper barges for the transport of a range of products that include grain, coal, and aggregates. The company also manufactures tank barges that carry petroleum, fertilizer, ethanol, chemicals, and other liquid cargos.

Volvo Penta has expanded its marine IMO Tier III range with new D13 solutions.This expands the range of marine commercial Volvo Penta D13 IMO III solutions for IPS-1200, IPS-1350, D13-900, and D13-1000. Each package exceeds the IMO III standards.The Volvo Penta D13 IMO III package upgrade boasts a power output of up to 735 kW for inboard and auxiliary applications and is approved for E3 and C1 cycles. The reduction in NOx and hydrocarbon (HC) will decrease from currently permitted…

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) recently took delivery of two 19’ RIBCRAFT 5.85s. As the first true rigid inflatable boats (RIB) in their fleet, these versatile vessels will serve as rapid response deployable vessels throughout the state.With larger hard-sided patrol vessels already in use, the department was in need of a multipurpose watercraft that was easily handled and operated by a single officer that could still support a variety of operations regardless of the conditions.

GF Piping Systems launched HEAT-FIT at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, debuting a lightweight, corrosion-free, and efficient thermoplastic piping system.With the HEAT-FIT Jacket System, GF Piping Systems offers a solution that introduces thermoplastic piping systems into essential applications (L3) onboard cruise ships, merchant vessels, and offshore platforms. HEAT-FIT is compatible with the ecoFIT range of polyethylene pipes and fittings designed for industrial applications and water and wastewater treatment.

Today, despite an abundance of market challenges and supply chain headaches, many of America’s police and fire boat builders are in possession of the shipyard holy grail: a healthy backlog.Dave Hunt, business development and project manager for Theodore, Ala. based Silver Ships said vessel orders from police and fire agencies have been on the rise and that the expectation is that this trend will continue. “Between vessels delivered and in production, we have seen a year over year increase steadily since 2017; particularly the last two years.

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

In 1985, Chris Deegan was hired out of Penn State as a nuclear submarine cost estimator by the Naval Sea Systems Command and retired nearly 28 years later as the Executive Director of PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, with the last 10 as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He’s been with Gibbs & Cox since 2013, first as the Vice President of Engineering, and as President and Chief Executive since 2016.Please give a “by the numbers” look at Gibbs & Cox today.Since our founding in 1929…

In any business, companies that achieve success must do at least one thing extraordinarily well. Shipbuilders like Metal Shark Boats are among companies that have taken their success to the next level by do a lot of things well. Government and commercial. Aluminum, steel and fiberglass. Serial and custom. Newbuild and repair. Sixteen to 300-plus feet. Patrol boats, pilot boats, fireboats, passenger ferries. Domestic and international. Metal Shark has thrived across the board.A…

MSC Cruises said a fire broke out aboard one of its vessels idled in Greece, on Thursday.The fire was reported at 3:42 p.m. local time aboard the MSC Lirica, currently in warm layup without passengers on the Greek island Corfu, and was put out by the ship’s two fire brigades and local emergency services teams by 6:58 p.m. No injuries were reported among the 51 crew members on board at the time of the incident, the cruise line said.MSC Cruises said the blaze originated from a starboard-side fiberglass lifeboat on the ship's sixth deck…

Thailand's first fleet of electric commuter ferries was placed into service last week by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), bringing clean emissions-free passenger transport to one of the world's most congested cities. Seven new vessels joined the first test boat, which has been successfully transporting Bangkok residents since 2018.The 30-passenger, zero-emission water taxis are part of a fleet operated by BMA's Enterprise Krungthep Thanakom Company (KT BMA), which operates on a five-kilometer route daily…

The captain of a dive boat that caught fire last year near Santa Cruz Island, resulting in 34 deaths, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter.Jerry Nehl Boylan, of Santa Barbara, was named in the indictment by a federal grand jury that alleges Boylan, as the captain and master of the Santa Barbara-based Conception, “was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers.”The indictment alleges that Boylan caused the deaths of 33 passengers and one crewmember “by his misconduct…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment reports it has won a tender to supply the Hellenic Army Special Forces with its Munin S1200 daughter craft, continuing a series of agreements that support patrol, defense and search and rescue capability of Hellenic seaborne forcesDesigned to operate for extended periods of time away from land or its mother ship, the 12m length by 3.5m deep-V hull boat will support Special Forces in tactical maneuvers, patrol and search and rescue operations. The Munin…

Roxtec has introduced the new GK Firestop sealing kit. The new kit makes it quick and easy to ensure certified fire protection above the waterline on rigs, platforms, ships and vessels, the manufacturer said.“Shipyards all over the world have asked for firestops that can help them seal cables and entire cable bundles in deck and bulkhead entries above the waterline. We can now meet this huge demand and solve the problem with high cable density thanks to a certified product that is easy to use…

In a few short months, the mayhem wrought by coronavirus has changed the world. Our response to the epidemic [more than the virus itself] has the potential to permanently alter the balance of the global economy. But it might be the kind of Black Swan event that we need to trigger real change in the shipping industry – and in particular its approach to digitalization of vessel operation.Like the worldview bubbles created by social media algorithms and fake news, the maritime industry is living in its own digitalization fantasyland - one fueled by vendor delusion and media misinformation.